Bemidji's Fenson to be behind the mic at Olympics

BEMIDJI, Minn. – Pete Fenson is going back to the Olympics, though not exactly in his dream role.

The bronze-winning Olympian is not competing in this year’s winter games, but will make his Olympic broadcast debut with NBC as a curling analyst.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Fenson said last week before he flew to Sochi, Russia.

Fenson, of Bemidji, was the skip of the rink that in 2006 won the bronze medal at the Olympics, the United States’ only Olympic medal in curling.

Fenson also has won seven U.S. National titles, five as skip.

He obviously would prefer to be competing in Sochi, but having been beaten by the John Shuster rink in November’s Olympic trials, Fenson, who since 2008 has covered the men’s and women’s World Curling Championships for the Universal Sports Network, instead accepted an invitation to broadcast for NBC.

“I’ve been involved and I really enjoy this kind of work,” said Fenson, who owns Dave’s Pizza in Bemidji. “Basically, I’ll be sitting around and talking about curling. It’s kind of a natural thing for me.”